


Love Notes

by timahina



Series: Arc-V Rare Pair Week 2018 [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Arc V Rare Pair Week, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 17:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15223781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timahina/pseuds/timahina
Summary: Word of love and poetry and beauty were not always the case and sadly, Kaito didn't even know where to begin when confessing.





	Love Notes

Being the new student in the middle of the school year was always an annoying ordeal; to simply drop in and disrupt the established order was an annoying function. Kaito remembered how it was at his previous school and often thought the poor bastards simply had the worst luck.

Now though, he was the unlucky bastard. And in a boarding school no less – a new job for his father meant more money in the bank and his father would afford better schooling for both him and his younger brother. It wasn’t so much of a problem to simply go to a different school, there weren’t many – if _any_ friends he was leaving behind. But the unwanted attention as he was in front of a large, seminar style class and having to present himself and bow.

The different colored uniforms he originally attributed to the different years but no; this school decided to be cruel and display different colored uniforms to showcase the skill levels and ranks. The ones who wore red were the rejected ones, the yellow – the never quite good enough and merely average which sounded more insufferable than being at the lowest rank. And then the blue ones.

He rolled his eyes at every Obelisk Blue student, there was hardly a single one without a chip on their shoulder. Except, maybe –

“Teacher!”

The Queen of Obelisk Blue.

“Ah, yes – Tenjoin-san, please, tell the class the correct scenario.”

Tenjoin Asuka… it didn’t surprise him that she was such a high rank. Every time she raised her hand, spoke up in class, or even was challenged to a match – Kaito made sure to watch. At first, it was simple curiosity at finally seeing a competent duelist and student. Someone who deserved that blue dorm spot. There was a respect for her, for a fellow duelist. But then he started to notice other things.

Like the way she held her pencil in her mouth when thinking, how she constantly fussed about her hair but hardly ever pinned it up. And how many love-notes she got on her desk only for her to swipe them aside, how many times she was approached in the hallway by another obnoxious student asking – or rather _, ordering_ , to be her boyfriend; it was a near daily occurrence. Asuka was brutal each time, tossing the unopened note to the floor or outright rejecting the demanding suitor in public. She took no prisoner and Kaito always had to smile at the sight.

Utterly ruthless and yet graceful, friendly without the pompous air – it was no secret how she stood out from the others in her rank.

It was also no secret, at least to him, how he became one of those poor saps that had fallen for the Queen. He wanted to keep it to himself but that sounded cowardly. The worst thing he could be told was no but that… his chest tightened at the prospect of such an outcome. Kaito wanted to scream; he was better than this!

Falling for a pretty classmate sounded so juvenile. Now falling for the strongest, most assertive, calculating and compassionate beautiful person he’d ever met sounded less like a sham in his mind.

Now only to tell her. And face rejection. Failure.

Kaito groaned.

“Oh hey, you heard rumors of the _Love Master_? Is he any good?” As per usual, there were other students around him gossiping about absurd rumors and functions. This was the latest one as there was always some new fad at Academia to follow.

“Bro, I got my girlfriend because of him. Literally – the best advice. Totally worth the price.”

Kaito raised a brow – love master? It was like the plot of a cheesy romantic comedy tv movie of the week. No, even worse than that, far more manipulative. It sounded like a cheap excuse to exploit hopeless awkward students with no social skills and extort them without any promise of a guarantee.

\---

“Welcome, you lost soul in the sea of love! I’ll be your captain and compass on this strange and confusing journey.”

Kaito grimaced; already feeling chills coursing through his body. It was like a bad scam; an _obvious_ one at that. Meeting after hours on the beach with an over-dramatic Obelisk Blue was a low point. He probably going to tell all his bunkmates about the desperate exchange student infatuated with the top student. “I’m not this desperate.” His eyebrows furrowed and he tried to leave. Immediately, the other student leaped forward and grabbed onto his arm.

His soft brown eyes were so honest even if his entire expression spelled out ‘con’. “If you came to me, you’re obviously in need of advice from Fubuki, the Master of Love.” Once more, he called himself the incredibly cheesy name. Even more so, Fubuki pulled him closer and was studying his face. His eyes suddenly turning hard and studious, practically boring through him. “Oh… you seem to be one in love.”

Kaito’s eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat – why was he so amazed by this?! Seeing him confirmed that… it was like seeing a psychic. But still, to hear it aloud and to have it written all over his face. How much more obvious could he get?

“I…” Kaito almost spoke but held his tongue back, averting his eyes and pulling his arm back roughly out of Fubuki’s hold.

“Tell me about them.”

How was he supposed to trust this? Was… was this gonna be held against him somehow? “This is only going to be kept between us, right?”

“Yup.”

“And you won’t… do anything malicious with this?”

Fubuki held his hand over his heart. “I would _never_.”

How trustworthy… Kaito bit his lip. All he could think about was how after this night, he could figure out the secret on _how_ to confess to Asuka and not end up as miserable as the others. His ultimate wish was to able to confess and if not be reciprocated, then at least figure out how to avoid the heartbreak. Hell, even to avoid the anxiety that was overflowing.

Kaito fidgeted, his hands clenching and unclenching as he bit the inside of his cheek. “There’s… there’s someone I…” He didn’t think he’d have to explain it. And saying all this aloud meant he’d have to accept it. “How would I tell Asuka that I like her?”

Fubuki’s face suddenly dropped. “… Asuka? As in… _Tenjoin_ Asuka?” Kaito nodded. “… right, you should give up.”

“What! What happened to that master of love crap?”

Fubuki laughed and stepped forward, patting Kaito’s shoulder, almost as though he had already failed and with sympathy. “Nothing I tell you will work on my sister, I promise you that.”

His… sister.

How?

Kaito didn’t see a hint of resemblance; not in their hair or eyes or expressions. Even their mannerisms were polar opposites. Maybe he was the black sheep of the family… even worse, what if she was?

“Nonono, wait a minute! How the hell do I-”

Fubuki shrugged his shoulders, waving his arms indignantly as his mouth contorted into a bit of a pout and his eyes wandered, as though searching for an answer. “I dunno – just tell her.”

“But that’s the problem! How?!” And this absolute charlatan called himself the Master of Love – he couldn’t even give adequate advice on how to do the simplest thing of confessing. Granted, it was to his sister and perhaps that was part of the problem. The hell kind of flowery language of poetry and beauty was he supposed to…?

_Wait._

Was that…

Was that the advice? Just tell her.

His poetic entrance meant he was going to tell him to write her a poem or be overly dramatic about it, then he could imagine what her reaction would be the next morning. She’d put him in his place; righteously so. But… just telling her… he didn’t even say _how_ to tell her! What a waste of time…

\---

“Hey… Tenjoin, can I talk to you privately?”

Kaito approached her the next day during lunch, surrounded by other girls from Obelisk Blue who were whispering around her, probably already sizing him up and spilling all they knew about him or anything they heard about him, whether truthful or not. Asuka shot them a look and they giggled, all standing up and waving their goodbyes at her, saying how they’d catch up with her later. Kaito didn’t trust they were actually gone – they were probably nearby.

“You’re… the transfer student, right? Tenjo Kaito?” He nodded, keeping his hands tight at his sides and did his best to not betray his thoughts of panic and his heart pounding into his ears. Asuka took a bite of her sandwich, waving her hand at him. “Let me guess! You need a partner!”

“A partner..?”

“For a tag duel, right?” Asuka took another bite of her sandwich and wiped her hands at her sides as she stood up, wiping them clean before grasping his own. “I’ve watched your dueling, you’re _amazing_! I’d be more than happy to be your partner!”

Well… it was a start. It gave him a chance to be near her, understand her, get to know her better. Hell, she could get to know him and maybe… she thought his dueling was amazing, she _had_ noticed him. This was the best start Kaito could’ve hoped for.

“… yea, I’d like that actually.”

Now he had to go challenge someone.


End file.
